Warriors Shorts - Windclan's Kits
by Tyziken
Summary: Windclan has 2 crazy kits, Foxkit and Tigerkit. They often get themselves into more trouble then they can handle. They desperately want to be apprentices, but will this behavior prevent them from reaching their dream? -A series of short stories
1. The kit's apprenticeship gets delayed

A WindClan queen, SpeckleFur, gave birth to 2 kits :Wolfkit and Foxkit. The litter SpeckleFur had given birth to in the past had died of natural causes, so she thought if she named her kits after fearless beings, perhaps they would have the courage and power to continue forward. Her kits aren't exactly what you'd call similar. Wolfkit always worried about his future and everything that makes a cat anxious. Foxkit was laid back and very sweet, always greeting cats and looking toward his future. His best friend was a young kit, the same age as he, named Tigerkit.

Tigerkit was a beautiful, ginger she-cat. She had white stripes running along her back, just as Foxkit had brown and white. Everyday, they would beg their mothers to let them leave the nursery to play; they were only 3 moons. When they were allowed, they would always get into trouble somehow. Usually it was when they rolled around, they got their pelts all dirty and their mothers would fuss over them. Even while their mothers cleaned them, they always looked at each other as if they wouldn't have done anything different. They were very close, needless to say.

One day, however, they got in very much trouble.

"Hey Foxkit, watcha wanna play?" Tigerkit would ask in her playful tone.

"I don't know" he shrugged. He stretched out and laid on his back, looking over at Tigerkit. Tigerkit normally looked a bit mischievous, but she looked now as if she had some crazy idea.

Tigerkit threw herself at Foxkit, and Foxkit tried to stake his ground. Tigerkit threw him over, and jumped at his belly, playfully whacking it with her paw. Foxkit squealed, but tried desperately to keep the noise down. He tried to extend his paws up to grab Tigerkit, but that only made his soft belly more exposed, putting him at a worse of a position. He noticed, in the midst of all the playing, other cats gathering around them, watching them play.

Foxkit tried to knock Tigerkit off with his hind legs, but all to no avail as she scrabbled behind him to reach his tail. _No, I'm not letting her grab my tail!_ He thought.

But she did. She bared it in her teeth and dragged him back, as his paws scrabbled on the ground. When all the dust from the ground cleared away, he saw the clan leader, Frozenstar looking down on them, his lips held back in a snarl.

"What are you kits doing?" Frozenstar said in an angry tone. The two kits looked at each other. _Uh oh_. "Well?" She continued.

"We um...were just playing!" Foxkit pleaded. Technically, that was true. Neither of them were in any real pain, and no blood had been shed. Then he glanced at himself, and realized he was wrong. There was blood on both him and Tigerkit, with scraps of fur scattered around the clearing. His own leg was bloody, and hurt terribly to even move. How had they been hurt so bad, while they were only playing? He even felt his belly burn terribly now, where Tigerkit had scratched him, but he decided he'd rather not look. He hated knowing he might have hurt Tigerkit.

"You two! Two my den! _Now!_ " He yowled sharply. The two kits looked down as they walked up to the leaders den. They were in real trouble now!

They sat down in the moss and waited for Frozenstar to come. After what seemed like an eternity, Frozenstar finally came through.

"What were you thinking? Were you two trying to kill each other?" He spat. "What do you have to say for yourselves?"

"I-I'm sorry, Frozenstar." It was Tigerkit that spoke. "We were only playing. We didn't mean to scratch each other up." She glanced at Foxkit, who couldn't meet her eyes.

"After I give you your punishments, I want you to go see Twigstream and get those injuries fixed up. Now, tell me what happened."

Tigerkit and Foxkit both explained what happened from their own points of view. While they were talking, Frozenstar seemed both confused and understanding.

"Very well. I understand. But good warriors aren't made by lunging at other cat's bellies, are they?" Frozenstar glared at Tigerkit. "Your punishment is your apprenticeship is to be delayed until your seventh moon instead of your sixth moon. Please be more careful next time. I do not wish to see you wrestling each other anymore. Understood?"

The cats nodded, and after they were fixed up, were sent back to their mothers, who fussed over each and every little ruffle in their fur, and minorly scolded them. They only sighed, for they wanted not another moon in the nursery. They were going on their sixth moon the next day. Foxkit could just imagine Wolfkit snickering and laughing at him, a seven moon old kit, still living in the nursery. At least he would have Tigerkit by his side, who he was becoming more and more sure he loved.


	2. The kits realize Frozenstar's true plans

Foxkit and Tigerkit were barely into their sixth moon when they just couldn't take it anymore. Wolfkit had become an apprentice, and constantly snickered and made fun of Tigerkit and Foxkit every time he walked by the nursery, which he seemed to try to do as often as possible. They had to prove to Frozenstar that they were ready to become apprentices.

One day the kits were laying by each other in the nursery alone. Their mothers had joined with the warriors again since they were only supposed to nurse them for six moons. They were just laying there, grooming their fur, bored out of their minds, when Wolfpaw walks over to them.

"You stupid kits! What is it now, your going to be kits forever? I bet you will never be apprentices! All you do is lay around and be lazy!" Wolfpaw taunted the two frustrated kits. He was the same age as Foxkit; he had no right to talk down to him, or act like he was older. Every cat knew Foxkit had been his mother's firstborn, with Wolfpaw minutes after.

"You've no right to talk to me like that." Foxkit replied calmly, grooming his claws. "Or Tigerkit." Which was true. Tigerkit was technically a couple days older than both of them.

"Oh yeah? You got a problem with me? Attack me, Fox _kit_!" He put extra emphasis on kit. "Just attack me, and we'll see who will have their apprenticeship delayed again!" He taunted.

Wolfpaw had never expected him to actually attack him. He knew if he showed one sign of hostility, Frozenstar would be there in a heartbeat. But today, he just couldn't take it. He bared his teeth, showing razor sharp fangs, hissed and lunged at Wolfpaw.

He mounted Wolfpaw's back, and raked his stubby claws along his rough back, but Wolfpaw was ready for him. Wolfpaw fell back, crushing Foxkit against the rough forest floor. Tigerkit lunged at Wolfpaw's exposed soft belly, and raked her claws along it, making him bleed. He yowled and released Foxkit, and he lunged right at Wolfpaw's back once more, and scrambled his claws along his back. He yowled, in much pain, and scrabbled to his paws, then ran off. _Probably to Frozenstar._ "I can't believe Wolfpaw! I thought he was supposed to be nice to us!" Tigerkit complained. Foxkit was more worried about what he saw in Wolfpaw's eyes when they were fighting. _Pure hatred_.

. . .

The kits laid in their moss, playfully batting and grooming each other, when Frozenstar walked in, his fur bristling in anger. "What was all that about? You wounded an apprentice!" He yelled in anger.

The kits looked at each other, unsure of what exactly to say. They decided to just say silent, at least for the time being. How severely could kits be punished? Most clans didn't punish kits, or if they did, only minorly scolded.

"Well?" He insisted. The kits stayed silent and merely stared oddly at him, as if to say _"What are you talking about?"_ , and Frozenstar did not like it one bit. "Fine! Until you kits start talking about what you did to Wolfpaw, how about we up the punishment? 8 moons?"

Foxkit was about to protest, but Tigerkit did first. "What? You can't, you just can't!" She wailed like a 2 moons kit. "Please, no!"

Foxkit couldn't take it anymore. He hissed as loud as he could at his leader, "You stupid piece of fox dung! You really think you can just add on moons forever to our delayed apprenticeship? 1 moon is long enough! Have you no heart? Its like your targeting us in particular! Wolfpaw is walking under your nose!"

Frozenstar hissed at the accusation "You have no right to accuse me of such treachery! Wolfpaw is a valued apprentice, more loved in this clan than you ever will be!"

Foxkit opened his mouth to protest, but Frozenstar spoke first. "One more word and its nine moons!" He hissed. Foxkit flattened his ears and padded back to the far corner of the nursery, his eyes clouded with emotion. He put his paws over his head and silently asked Starclan to get him out of this. He was certain Frozenstar was targeting them. Then a thought crossed his mind. _Did Frozenstar we would be too dangerous if we had warrior training, to the point where he did not want to risk us turning on him?_

Several days had past, and Foxkit felt the need more and more to get away from camp, for he thought Frozenstar may attack them. He had told Tigerkit about his suspicions, and they devised a plan: They would wait till dark, and then sneak out of the nursery. If no other cats were up, they will sneak out. Night had almost fallen on them, and they were just biding the time. Foxkit was taking a nap, while Tigerkit was grooming his fur. She was very anxious, and her licks got more brisk the closer nightfall had come. After she licked his fur, she licked his legs and his back claws.

Just then Foxkit muttered in his sleep, unaware, "...Love you, but I could never say it, Tigerkit..." Though he was unaware he said that, Tigerkit placed her head on his belly and quietly replied "Love you too."

She kept on washing him till he awoke, where Foxkit noticed she had groomed. Foxkit knew from what Tigerkit had often said that he muttered in his sleep. He had just had a dream with Tigerkit in it, and he wondered how much he had said. Embarrassed, he turned away and focused on what lie ahead.

The moon had risen, and all the other cats were sleeping. Foxkit padded out of the nursery, with Tigerkit following close behind him. Before he knew what was happening, the scent of rogue washed over him. He hid in the bush, and peeked his head out to see Frozenstar talking with a band of rogues. They looked bloodthirsty and ready to kill at a command or not. And then Foxkit saw the unthinkable: Wolfpaw was among them. _Betrayer!_ He thought bitterly.

"Frozenstar," One of the rogues began, "How is delaying those kits training coming? Remember when we stage the raid on Windclan, and we bring the two kits to Rust, He's gonna want to train them himself!"

"Of course!" Frozenstar replied, "They are already set to 8 moons! Will you need more time? I can go 12 moons, or 24 moons, or-"

The rogue laughed. "Don't worry, Frozenstar! We're staging the raid tomorrow. Go make sure those kits haven't snuck off!" He laughed.

"Hah, I'll do the honors!" Wolfpaw said grimly. The two kits quietly walked back into the nursery and pretended to sleep next to each other. "Aww, look! These kits love each other. Too bad for them, where they're going they won't have love, just cold dark hearts."

Foxkit couldn't believe what they were saying. He just flattened his ears against his head and curved his body around Tigerkit, as if to protect her, from what they know would be the hardest thing they would ever come against.


	3. The kits make a break for it

(Hey guys, just btw in the first part I realized I said they were both 3 and 6 moons at the same time. Just to clarify, they were three moons at the beginning, and the second part began on their sixth moon. The end of part 1 = Beginning of part 2. They are a little over 6 moons right now. Sorry! D:)

When the rogues departed and the leader finally fell asleep, Foxkit woke up Tigerkit and peeked his head out of the nursery. The fact that Icestar would do anything to make their lives miserable, scandalous! Foxkit tried to think of why Icestar would even do such a thing as faking a raid on his own clan, for what seemed the purpose of giving away he and Tigerkit. Surely the clan leader would want two strong, healthy kits? Did Icestar owe the rogues something? Was that why he was practically torturing them?

When Tigerkit finally woke, they groomed themselves a bit, before realizing it was wasting time. Foxkit wanted desperately to tell a cat about what had happened, that maybe they could help. It was no use, as the crack of dawn hadn't even hit. Trying to wake any cat up would wake up Icestar, and to dig his grave further, he didn't know who he could even trust. The best they could do is to keep quiet, get some fresh-kill, and start running away from this place.

Foxkit and Tigerkit shared a large vole, carefully not eating too much, worried it would slow them down. _At least that's one thing I'll miss_ , Foxkit thought. The clan always seemed to have enough to eat.

"Foxkit?" Tigerkit asked.

"Yeah?" He replied.

"What are we going to do?" Foxkit could detect the anxiety in her mew.

"I don't know. But whatever happens, we must be prepared. I don't want you to get hurt." He purred, then stopped. How could he purr at a time like this?

The kits after their meal, knew they had to go. The sun was slowly rising, its scarlet blaze beginning to cover the sky. It was strange- half was black and starry, the other half a light blue tint. They traveled a little ways, when they decided to hunt.

"You think we can catch anything, without training?" Tigerkit asked.

"Well, if the clan can't teach us, I guess we'll have to learn ourselves! We'll make our own hunting strategies." Foxkit wished he brought more food with him, as he didn't think about hunting. Regardless, he tried to hide the anxiety in his mew. Could they really make their own strategies? Perhaps, he thought, but they would need lots of time, and a hunting strategy to begin with. Maybe, just maybe, they could find their way out in the wild.

Foxkit looked on at a vole that didn't detect him, scuttling in a tree. He snuck in the undergrowth, narrowed his eyes, claws outstretched, ready for a leap...

Before he could spring, the vole detected him, and ran off. "Fox dung!" He yelled as loud as he possibly could. That was a mistake. It took a minute for the fact that Windclan patrols were near to register. As if on queue, the nearby leaves rustled, and out came a patrol, with Icestar at the head and Wolfpaw following close behind.

Foxkit knew he was screwed, but they hadn't seen Tigerkit yet. He swatted his tail aside violently, signaling her to quickly hide. Luckily the area was bordering ThunderClan, and her scent was masked. "Well, what do we have here?" Icestar snickered. "You, all alone, decided to run away? But why?" He asked maliciously.

Foxkit stared in pure horror as Wolfpaw broke in, "Let me guess, you know about our little plan. That's fine- we were just about to transport you two to Rust. We know you two ran off because of it. I was going to personally enjoy giving you to Rust, letting him train you two, but now we have to pad off here and find you. Where is Tigerkit?"

Foxkit hissed a fiery retort as Icestar watched with amusement, "Why! Why are you doing this? Does your oh-so-great leader Icestar owe these cats something? We're not your slaves, you stupid pieces of fox dung! And I will never, ever betray Tigerkit!'

Icestar looked straight at Foxkit, pinning him down with a single paw. The icy fierceness in his gaze scared Foxkit, giving him a freezing shutter. "Where is Tigerkit? Listen to me right now. If you do not tell me, I will claw your ear off. I mean that. Still don't tell me, your other ear, and after that, we will kill you and Tigerkit when we find her. You do care for her, don't you?"

Foxkit couldn't believe it- Icestar was using Foxkit's own love against him! What was he going to do? Then a thought came to him: what if he did the same thing back to Icestar? It couldn't be very good, but it was worth a shot.

"You wouldn't kill me, and you know it. How would Rust react when she saw that you killed us? If you truthfully killed us both, then what was the point of this entire raid?" He knew he had reached Icestar's highest point of rage when he saw his eyes sharpen - half at anger, half at realization.

"Why, you..." He hissed through tiger-sharp fangs. "They never said anything about torture. Tell us where she is. Now."

He couldn't bare to see Tigerkit in pain, but before he could even give in or defend himself - he wasn't sure which would happen - the bushes rustled, with a muscular brown tom stalking out. He carried the scent of rogue, and in his jaws was a familiar figure, squirming and protesting.

 _Tigerkit!_

"Rust! Nice job finding Tigerkit. These two kits thought they could sneak out of camp." Fangs sunk into his scruff as Icestar picked Foxkit up. "Lets take these kits back to the Rouges' den. They have a lot to learn." Rust mewed. Wolfpaw stared at the two, with pure hatred and satisfaction. Then, something else mixed into his gaze, something Foxkit hadn't seen once in Icestar.

 _Sincerity_. Was he truly sorry for this? Would he really miss them? Perhaps it was too much to hope for. All they had known Wolfpaw for was his evil intentions. It would take more than a glint in his eye to change their view of him.

"Lets go! I want them knowing 4 ways to murder a cat by tomorrow, and test it on some Thunderclan cats!" Rust glanced at Icestar, "As part of our deal, these cats will murder Thunderclan, Shadowclan, and RiverClan as soon as possible. We'll see you later Icestar, and Wolfpaw." As soon as they left, Rust looked at the two kits, shivering in their pawsteps. "Welcome back, Tiger and Fox. You didn't honestly think you were born in clans, did you? It will be good to see your mother again, huh?" Tiger stared in absolute horror at Fox, who mirrored the exact expression back.


End file.
